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Clay Pottery Craft Projects

Easy Teapot Project
Provided by Minnisota Clay USA

Have you ever looked at your teapot and wondered if you could make one yourself and decorate it to match the kitchen or a set of dishes but figured it would be impossible for you to do?









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Well, first off, it ain't impossible and second, be forewarned that the dozing elephant teapot is what a learning potter is probably gonna get the first few times they try to make a teapot.
The spout hangs low allowing the filled pot to dribble tea when filled to capacity.
The weary body slumps like it is melting under the force of gravity, and as attractive or funny as this style can be, a nice round useful teapot can be much more rewarding, and the best part is, if you can make a nice round bowl, you can make a nice round teapot.

This is not cheating, but instead of trying to make a perfect round ball on the potters wheel as your teapot body, make two pretty good half bowls and mud them together.

FOLLOW ME!!!!

Body

First, we are gonna throw two bowls using one and a half pounds of clay for each bowl.
Leave the rims a tad thicker than normal to help when you are putting them together later.

tea pot 1 tea pot 1A

Spout

Throw your spout.

tea pot 2

Lid

Throw your inset lid.
That is a lid that has a few inches that sticks down from the underside of the lid and fits inside of the teapot.
It keeps the lid from sliding off when the teapot is tipped.
The lid is thrown upside down.

tea pot 3

Teapot Foot

Before the leather hard stage, trim a foot ring into the bowl that will serve as the bottom portion of the teapot.

tea pot 4

Knob

Trim your inset lid.
You can add a knob at this stage as well.
A knob is added by sprigging a circular coil of clay to the top of the lid, then the soft clay coil is formed into shape by throwing it on top of the trimmed lid.

tea pot 5

Lid Opening

Using your inset lid as a template, trim the opening onto the top center of the bowl that will serve as the top part of your teapot.

tea pot 6

Assemble Body

Score the rims of the two bowls and put lots of slip on the scored areas.

tea pot 7

Put the two halves together.
Use a tool like the handle of a fettling knife shown here to put pressure from inside of the assembled pot in order to make the joined seam.

tea pot 8tea pot 8A

Attach Spout

Cut the spout off at an angle as shown in the first picture below.
Put the spout on the side of the teapot to find the best spot for it.
The top of the spout should be a bit above the highest possible level of liquid that can be put in the teapot.

tea pot 9 tea pot 9A

Trace around the spot where spout will be placed using a pencil, needle tool or a knife.

tea pot 10

Strainer

Drill holes inside the traced area as these will serve as your strainer holes.

tea pot 11

Put your spout on the teapot and be sure to score and put slip on both of the areas to be joined.

tea pot 12

Handle

Take some clay and either roll the clay into a length long enough for a round handle or take a rolling pin and flatten the clay out to make a flat handle.
To make sure the flat handle will be the same thickness, lay two yard sticks about four inches apart and put your clay in between and roll out with rolling pin.
This will give you a slab of clay that has a uniform thickness.
Decide what width and length you want your handle and cut off.
Be sure and score the handle and the area which was marked across from the spout on teapot where it will be placed.
Put slip on handle and where teapot is marked for the handle and gently push it onto your teapot.

tea pot 13

Glaze and Fire

Let your teapot dry until it no longer feels cold to the touch and fire to Cone 06 which is about 1830 degrees F.
Glaze with a food safe glaze, let completely dry and again fire to Cone 06.
Make sure and not leave the lid on teapot because they will melt together when fired. Stilt the lid and the teapot separately.

Tips

There are some tips in the Tips category to help when making a teapot.

Good Luck and have a spot of tea for me!!

Apologizing for a nasty remark is like trying to unscramble an egg

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Have you ever come up with a good idea while working with your handmade pottery or ceramics and thought that you would like to share it with others? You have? Well, why not send it to us and we will add it to the tips page for all to see.

Handmade pottery can be a very gratifying hobby that produces fun and satisfying results. For many people it's an enjoyable release that is created by working an inanimate mound of clay into a beautiful work of art that you made through your artistic abilities.

The best way of starting out is to take a few lessons. You will probably waste quite a bit in materials when you first get started. Figuring out how to truly make handmade pottery correctly and shape into what you want it to be can be quite an ordeal. The different tools that a normal shop will have can be fun to try. You will soon see which ones you like to use the most and then when you are ready you will know which ones to buy.

When you get all set up, just enjoy the hobby and have fun at it. Some people get pretty serious and start selling their creations at craft fairs and small stores, but others just like to create items for themselves, relatives, and friends. Whichever kind of handmade pottery you desire to endeavor, enjoy the hobby and have fun doing it.

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